Today, many methods exist for applying paints to large, flat surfaces such as walls and ceilings. The most common methods include brushing, rolling, or spraying paint onto the desired surface using a standard paint brush, a roller brush, or a paint sprayer.
The standard paint brush is not a popular choice for such tasks because the standard paint brush, due to its smaller width and inability to hold a large amount of paint within its bristles, does not cover a significant surface area per brush stroke and requires frequent dips into the paint in order to cover large surface areas. Consequently, painting large areas with a standard paint brush can require a great deal of time and be quite labor intensive. Furthermore, the bristles on the standard paint brush often cause the inexperienced painter to leave behind "brush marks" during application thereby leaving the surface looking rough and creating an unattractive finish. Therefore, large, flat surfaces are commonly covered using a paint sprayer or a roller brush.
The paint sprayer provides its own set of problems in that it is bulkier and more complicated to use than either the standard brush or the roller brush. Experience and care is necessary in order to evenly apply paint with a paint sprayer and to avoid spraying paint onto undesirable surfaces. Also, the weight, design and hoses associated with a paint sprayer make it considerably burdensome when having to paint elevated areas which necessitate carrying the sprayer up a ladder. Finally, the paint sprayer costs considerably more than both the standard brush and the roller brush and its purchase may not be practical for many persons undertaking a painting task. Understandably, applying paint to large, flat surface areas using a roller brush remains the most common and generally accepted method.
The roller brush is an inexpensive paint application tool that is easy to use and, due to its substantial width, provides a means to paint large surface areas in minimal time. The roller brush applies paint evenly, without brush marks, and when painting out-of-reach areas, may be carried up a ladder without difficulty. However, using a roller brush necessarily entails using a paint tray which provides difficulties of its own.
Paint trays, as commonly known in the art, are constructed having a ramped front surface, the front end of the tray being elevated and angled downwardly as the tray extends towards the rear end. This downwardly sloping ramp commonly meets a bottom or base plate anywhere from one-third to one-half of the distance to the rear end. The elevated front end is commonly supported by L-shaped legs which are also used for clipping the tray to the top rail of a step ladder or the like. This construction allows the painter to roll the roller brush down the ramp, into the paint held in the rear end and above the base plate of the tray and then roll the roller brush back up the ramp thereby allowing excess paint to drain off the roller, down the ramp, and back to the paint in the bottom. However, because the paint trays have a ramped front surface, they are not of uniform depth and the weight distribution of paint within the tray makes the tray difficult to handle and manipulate. As a result, paint is typically spilled anytime the painter seeks to move or carry a tray containing any reasonable amount of paint therein.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a paint tray which eliminates the problem in transporting paint trays, while still providing the desired ramp design that is efficient for loading a roller brush with paint and clipping the tray to a stepladder or the like.